Friday, September 26, 2008

Will We Exchange Truth for a Lie; Life for Death? by Jenn

Jesus is the lighthouse-photo by jennography

This morning I read an article in Christianity Today Blog...about one of my favorite christian singer/songwriters who "came out" and admitted he was gay...and I was so moved and so infuriated at the enemy!

The following are my writings on the subject matter.

We can all read truth for ourselves in the word of God/the Bible and (a) drink it in and believe it to be truth..all of it, or (b) we can deny it through compromise, and thereby turn our backs on our loving Creator. Either way...God's word is truth, and truth will have the final word in the matter.

The words spoken by Ray Boltz at the close of this article got to me!!!. What is spoken here is totally against what the word of God teaches. He says, "This is what it really comes down to," he says. "If this is the way God made me, then this is the way I'm going to live. It's not like God made me this way and he'll send me to hell if I am who he created me to be … I really feel closer to God because I no longer hate myself."

Ok...Ray says he no longer hates himself...Well, we can all find reasons to hate ourselves for whatever flaws in our physical body or mental state. Yet, the word of God says to "deny self" and follow after HIM. Die to the flesh! To love God first...then we will love ourselves and CHOOSE to please and serve Him with our lives...based on GOD's kind of love...not the love we "think or feel".

What about Romans? Or the letters to the churches from Paul??? Where these behaviors are said to be detestable to God...

Romans 1:25-27 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things (which can be ourselves OR others OR even material objects) rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Romans 13:1313 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness (does not say DON'T DRINK...but it does say NOT DRUNKEDNESS - the drunkedness is what leads to many other sins of the flesh), not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Galatians 5:1717 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.Joshua 24:14-16 (New King James Version)

14 "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." 16 So the people answered and said: "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;

Serving of SELF is actually putting oneself, others, or material things (even our time) above God. To serve God does not always "feel" right, but if we make the choice to deny self, idols and other desires, and pursue God through Christ and through the Holy Bible, we WILL be serving the Lord in Truth according to His words.

Life is not about living how "we feel". I'm learning this for myself every day. Many times I have put other people or things before pleasing God. I'm sure I did this JUST YESTERDAY in fact...BUT, when recognized...confess it to God, repent, turn around and go in the direction of a BETTER way in Christ! Keep making the choice to do this, rather than to give in.

God does care about our hurts, and is moved to compassion by our pain, but He said that He would bear our burdens. He also said in the Bible that when we feel we are going to fall into temptation and lusts of the flesh, HE will always make a way out for us.

Our lifestyle is a choice. Homosexuality is a choice! Just as choosing to drink to being drunk is. When one knows it is a temptation/weakness in their body to get drunk... when we know something is a temptation to our body chemically, genetically or whatever we want to label it (born that way)...it ALL still boils down to a choice..."Are you going to take that drink?" OR "Are you going to resist and follow after the things of God?" Are you going to look at pornography when you know it is harmful for the mind and to your family? Are you going to choose to do it anyway because it FEELS good, so it must be good!?! Or will you resist, and turn from it. The same about doing drugs to feel good...it is a choice....or any other struggle where one has temptation in a certain area of their life...EATING THAT EXTRA PIECE OF CHOCOLATE. =) For me, it would be smoking a cigarette when stressed. Every day I would feel so much better to have a cigarette....YET I determine to CHOOSE NOT to do it, because I know it is harmful to my body and mind...hurtful to my family too.

Life boils down to choices, and this IS the word of God. He gives us the choice to make. "choose YOU this day" God doesn't tell us in his word to do everything that feels good, and that gives us warm fuzzy feelings, or fame and wealthy gain... He said, "SEEK HIM FIRST AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS...THEN he will add all these things". see Matthew 6:32-34.

Doing what feels good may not always end good. Drunkedness=Hangovers, destruction of families, even death. Pornography = depraved mind, degrading of women, broken families and most often leads to abuse of all kinds. Sexual Sins = disease in the body, break up of homes, abuse of all kinds. Overeating=Obesity and health issues of all kinds. Anyway, the list goes on. Every one of us has something more than something else that could lead us down a path of destruction.

This doesn't mean it will be easy to choose truth. In the word of God, Jesus spoke that "in this world we WILL have trouble, but take heart...I have overcome the world"! I'm paraphrasing...search the word in John 16:33

Christians (myself FIRST)! We've got to stand up for truth, and quit compromising the word of God! We are all sinners, yes! But that does not mean we go on purposely sinning and living like WE want, then trying to make it OK by saying, "God made me this way". That would be like telling a man/woman in a wheelchair...you can't run a race because God made you this way. No, Joni Erickson Tada and Nick Vujicic show us if we would trust God first...we can run the race! Click here to read Joni's story of HOPE. Click here to see Nick's story of HOPE .

God must be so sad at this mind-set...of making excuses for our sin. Really...it is the sin of the world that began in the garden of eden. It is there, Jesus came for us...thank you so much Lord! Yet, we do not have an automatic one way ticket to heaven because Jesus died for us. If so, we just could live any way we wanted, and still expect to get there. Doing this, we give no regard or respect for the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf...

It sure makes me sad because I'm GUILTY too of making excuses for my sin at times. Yet, we simply cannot!

Please don't get me wrong. I'm not bashing Ray Boltz (or anyone else for that matter)...his music is wonderful and uplifting! Yet the mindset in the christian community is becoming more twisted than it already was. Instead of it being based on the word of God, it is based on man's rules and thoughts. Now, many churches are buying into the lies as well. Exchanging truth for lies.

The Holy Spirit in me is rising up for truth, and to speak up about this! To speak against the schemes of the enemy of our soul who wants to deceive us, and lead believers away from the truth of God's word.

I don't believe God hears our prayers at all...when we refuse to turn from our wicked ways. In 2 Chronicles, God did say, IF you turn from your wicked ways, THEN I will hear from heaven.

I know for my own self, this is so very true. When I am stubborn with pride to do things my own way, God stops me in my tracks. When I am obedient to His word, He pours out blessing upon blessings (NOT always in the form of money...but provision...he meets our every need!). All I have is God's word to base it on, because the Bible is the truth.

We either believe it all, or believe it none...we cannot believe only parts of it. If we are not believing it all, then we are lukewarm and God says he would rather spew us out.

It isn't about our works, or how nice we are...it is about if we are walking in Truth.

Revelation 3:15-17 15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—

Living the Christian live cannot be GRAY or compromising. There is grace, but first there MUST be repentance...a turning around from the sin. Grace cannot be extended, when repentance hasn't occurred. Think about even when Jesus was hanging on the cross...one thief had remorse for his sin and turned to Jesus and asked that he remember him...and Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Luke 23:43 Did the other thief go with Jesus? No, because he did not repent. The other thief even took it one step further to mock Him. Really...we mock Jesus when we choose to deny the truth of His word.

Paul says this to the church:2 Corin. 12:2121 I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.

God is saying here...2 Chronicles 7:144 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.

Revelation 9:12-2112The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come. 13The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.

17The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

God's word teaches us to love the person, and hate the sin. It does not say to accept the sin as being OK, or dismiss the sin by saying it is "just the way God made me". There is a better way...a righteous way...by way of a loving God. We can still love ourselves and resist sin.

I'm not writing this to condemn anyone, only putting God's word out there for us all to ponder and to search. And I ask (of myself first), will we stand for truth, or continue to believe lies...no matter what that lie of the enemy is...God help us all to search God's word earnestly, and discern truth from lies.

Whether or not one agrees with what is presented, if this will prompt us all to search deeper into the Bible, God's Holy word, then Praise the Lord!

James 5:19-20 19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Let us pray for one another, and encourage one another with the truth.

5 comments:

Wonderful post! I believe the enemy is alive working in our world today. We must all be watchful and active against attacks. I believe that this is something the church neglects to point out these days. There also seems to be a place in Christianity today that forgets about SIN! Anyway, thanks for this.

It was tough to post, but something the Holy Spirit so put on my heart to do.

I would never want someone who struggles with these feelings, or any kind of sin, to think I would not accept them. Jesus accepted even the prostitute, but He said, "Go and sin no more".

It all goes back to...love the person, but not the sin.

Churches seem to be confusing this. While they ARE accepting the person, they are also accepting and condoning the sin! They are not guiding those who struggle with sin into the truth of what God's word says about it.

To me that is compromise, and a dangerous place for the christian church to be in.

Jenn, as I said on Wendy's blog, while I respect your beliefs, I do not necessarily agree with them. I do not believe it is going against God to accept or practice one's sexuality, because I do believe we are all made in God's image.

Your photographs are amazing! I really enjoyed taking a walk through your blog. I wish your gaughter all the best with her surgery.